Hero Complex
by WitBeyondMeasure23
Summary: Steve should have waited for Danny... ... In which Steve gets whumped excessively. NO SLASH. AT ALL. a little bromance, but no mushy awkward stuff. This story exists for the sole purpose of whumping Steve. whumpwhumpwhump :) Did I mention that there's whump?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: so i would just like to make note of the fact that this story is pure whump. The plot is flimsy at best, so please don't get on me for the many plot holes that will inevitably occur :) like I said, this is all about whump. This is NOT SLASH. a little bromance, but not awkward over-caring stuff. set sometime after Doris comes back... I'm a whumpaholic, so I definitely wouldn't bother reading this story if you care about interest plots and stuff. this is the first time I've published on this site before, so may the force be with me! **

PROLOGUE

Danny let out a hiss of frustration. _He was so stubborn_. It was Steve's most damnable trait, his stubbornness.

He paced his office restlessly, covering his concern with waves of anger and frustration at his partner's damn hero complex.

"Found anything yet?" he called over to Chin in the other room.

"Still looking," Chin replied, not taking his eyes of his work.

_His hero complex_. That, together with his stubbornness, was bound to bring upon Steve's doom someday. Danny tried to ignore the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach… that things were far from being alright, and that Steve was in serious trouble.

That 'someday' was likely to become today.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

Steve was starting to regret not listening to Danny. He'd never actually admit it, of course. Danny had told him quite heatedly over the phone to '_under no circumstances enter that freighter without backup!_'.

Steve had, predictably, rolled his eyes and told Danny he just wanted to have a look around.

"What, you think I can't handle myself?" Steve had mocked him.

"Just wait, OK Steve? Just wait. I'm 10 minutes out. _10 minutes_. We've got nothing to lose waiting 10 minutes. Just stay put, Superman," Danny had said sarcastically, "Wait for back-up. I know you have absolutely no regard for protocol, but if there was ever a time to start following it, _it would be now_. I'm telling you: do. Not. Enter. That. Freighter."

"What? What? I can't hear you…. what was that again? Danny, I think we're breaking…" Steve hung up, rolling his eyes and smirking slightly at his partner's ridiculousness.

He had cut the engine and stepped out of car. He glanced up, noting the rather gloomy gray sky above, a rare occurrence in Hawaii.

...That was the last thing Steve remember before he woke up with a killer headache, alone in a dark, musky room with a bullet in his shoulder and no recollection of how the hell he had gotten there.

If he had been counting correctly, that had been 22 days ago. He was definitely starting to regret not just waiting for Danny.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

CHAPTER ONE

Steve had woken up completely disoriented. Had he not been a skilled Navy SEAL who had been trained for these kinds of things, he would have completely panicked. He took in deep breaths, trying to get a load of his surroundings while ignoring the pain in his head.

As he began to grow accustomed to the pain in his head, he began to become aware of a different throbbing, this time in his shoulder. Steve ran his hand over the source of the pain, and was not encouraged when his hand emerged covered with blood. He slowly reached to feel his back, taking a sharp intake of breath when he discovered that every move he made hurt. He felt around for an exit wound, but there was none.

"Aw, fuck," Steve muttered, slumping against the wall.

He was in a dark, windowless room about the size of a small apartment kitchen. It was completely empty. There was a door, but without any handles on the inside. On the door there was a small barred window. Steve made to go try to see if he could see anything out of it, but quickly gave up at the agonizing wave of pain that resulted from him trying to stand.

The poor air circulation in the room resulted in a rank, musty smell. Steve's head was swimming, and he found himself having difficulty focusing on anything.

Steve heard footsteps approaching. His mind was in a fog, and by the time Steve had told himself to prepare to face his captors, they had already entered. He tried to focus on the faces of the two (or was it three?) men who had entered, but they kept swimming in and out of focus. The dizziness was starting to cause the edges of his vision to blur, and the last thing he thought as he saw the butt of a gun swinging towards him was that he probably would have been unconscious anyway.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

When Steve found himself struggling out of unconsciousness, he thought for a second that he was back in North Korea.

He could feel the strain on his shoulders (especially on the one with a bullet in it) as his arms had been raised above his head and he had been strung up from the ceiling. The first thing Steve was able to make out was the unmistakable arrogant face of Wo Fat.

"Commander McGarrett. We really need to stop meeting like this. It seems to be becoming an… _unfortunate_ habit of yours." Wo Fat slowly made his way over to him, twirling a glinting knife in his hands.

Steve rolled his eyes at Wo Fat's theatrics. "Long time no see. You should be careful, I'm starting to think you like having me around."

"So confident, Commander McGarrett," Wo Fat mocked softly as he circled Steve's suspended body, relishing in Steve's frustration at not being able to see him. "Such confidence is unique for a man in a predicament such as your own."

Wo Fat's footsteps stopped directly behind him, and the hairs on the back of Steve's neck stood up as Wo Fat spoke mere inches away. "I am sure, by now, you are aware that there is a bullet in your shoulder."

Steve took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he knew what about to come.

"It stopped bleeding about an hour ago, but I believe that I can… _arrange_ for that to be changed." Wo Fat circled to face Steve once more.

A condescending smile graced Wo Fat's face as he reached forward and dug his fingers into the hole in Steve's shoulder.

Steve let out a grunt of surprise as the pain hit him like a tidal wave. He felt like his shoulder was being ripped apart, and he was only vaguely aware of letting his head fall backwards and letting out a muted, but audible, moan of pain.

It took several minutes for Steve to realize that Wo Fat was no longer digging through his shoulder. The pain seemed to be prolonged due to the amount of pressure that was on his shoulder from his arms being tied up above his head.

As Steve peeled his eyes open, the sight of Wo Fat casually leaning against the wall, smirking, swam into view.

"That wasn't too fun, now was it, Commander McGarrett?"

Refusing to show weakness, Steve looked Wo Fat calmly in the eyes. "Go directly to hell."

Without warning, Wo Fat plummeted his fist into Steve's bare abdomen. Steve gasped as he had the wind knocked out of him. "Now that is no way to treat your host, Mr. McGarrett. You are my guest here."

Struggling to restore air to his lungs and doing his best not to wheeze, Steve asked, "And where exactly would 'here' be again?"

Wo Fat chuckled slightly and smiled mockingly at him. "I really don't see any reason for you to have that information," Wo Fat said, before leaning a little closer, adding, "I can assure you of one thing, McGarrett. This is not North Korea. This time, your little friends have no chance of finding you. You are completely and utterly **alone**. Keep that in mind when you try to resist while you wait for rescue. Rescue is not coming."

There was a silence. Steve really hoped that Wo Fat was underestimating 5-0's abilities. But that brought Steve to another question. "I know you have this whole arch-villain speech planned, but I hope you won't mind if I just cut to the chase. You still haven't told me why I'm here."

Wo Fat raised his eyebrows. "Surely you can guess, Commander… I want what I've always wanted. I want Shellbourne. I want your mother."

Steve stared at Wo Fat for several seconds before letting his face break out into a wide grin. "Well, I'm afraid you're shit outta luck then, my friend."

Wo Fat smiled. Steve saw that the knife he had seen earlier had returned. "I think you will find, Commander McGarrett," he said, running the back edge of the knife along Steve's cheek, "that I can be very persuasive."

* * *

**dundunduuuuun. yup. not too terrible, i hope. the next chapter's going to get a lot more whumpy. just to clarify, the prologue jumps forward in time from chapter one. again, sorry for the many plot flaws. i'm here for the whump :) **


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Wo Fat twisted the knife in his hand, regarding Steve much like a sculptor would a new block of marble… he had to pick a place to start.

He made a shallow incision on Steve's pectorals. Steve had been trained to withstand much worse, and frankly, it was like a pinch compared to the pain from the bullet wound. Seeing what little effect this had on Steve, Wo Fat, never removing the knife from the initial incision, sliced a gash about 4 inches long across Steve's pectorals.

Steve felt the sharp sting as blood began to pulse out of the cut, dripping down his chest. Steve was completely unfazed, and doubted the gash would even leave a scar. "If this is what you call being persuasive, I think you may need to review your strategy."

Wo Fat laughed. "Never fear, Commander McGarrett. I was just getting warmed up.."

With that, Wo Fat dug the knife about an inch into Steve's not-shot shoulder. He took his time carving Steve's arm, creating a legitimate gash about 8 inches long.

Steve clenched his teeth together as Wo Fat cut, forbidding himself from making a sound. This time Steve began to bleed in earnest. Blood ran down Steve's arm, dripping onto the floor and rapidly forming a large puddle.

Wo Fat's voice sounded from behind him. "Where is Doris McGarrett, Steve? You're going to tell me anyway… you might as well spare yourself the pain."

"When hell freezes over," Steve growled.

Wo Fat sighed. "Very well."

Steve didn't see it coming – there was no way he could. All Steve knew was the explosion of pain in his shoulder blade as Wo Fat plunged the knife all the way into his back shoulder blade. He could not help crying out in pain as the knife stabbed through flesh and muscle.

Wo Fat yanked the knife out of Steve's back, bringing a fresh wave of pain before the first had even begun to subside. Gasping out in pain, Steve swung slightly from where he was suspended. He struggled and failed to compose himself as Wo Fat re-entered his line of sight.

Wo Fat's lips were moving, but Steve couldn't hear what he was saying. He could feel blood gushing out of his body. Everything throbbed in pain. The world around him became fuzzy… all he could hear was pounding. The pounding of his heart… the pounding of the blood pulsing out of his wounds… the pounding of his head, his bullet wound, and his stab wound.

Steve's vision began to blur, everything was numb. He thought he may have been able to make out Wo Fat's livid face before his head dropped and everything went dark.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

Danny had unsuccessfully tried to call Steve back several times after his partner faked losing signal. Cursing under his breath, Danny pushed the Camaro past the speed limit.

He'd had a bad feeling about this case from the very beginning. It was simple enough, but that was the thing. It was too simple. Danny had thought that the job was better suited for HPD, but Steve had wanted to take it.

There was a drug smuggling operation, and there was a report that the smuggled drugs were stashed on a freighter that had docked on the pier the day before.

They had agreed yesterday to check out the freighter the next morning. Steve borrowed Catherine's car and agreed to meet Danny there. However, Danny had run late dropping Grace off at school, and Steve had called, impatient.

Now Danny was rushing to the pier. He could not quite explain why he was so paranoid, but he did his best to convince himself that it was not because they had received a report a week before that Wo Fat was returning to the islands.

Danny sped in sped into the lot outside the pier, empty except for Catherine's car. Skidding to a stop, Danny jumped out of the Camaro and made his way over to Catherine's car. Cursing when he found that Steve was not there, Danny pulled out his cell phone.

"Damn it, Steve," Danny muttered as he dialed Steve's number. It rang several times, with no answer. Danny deliberated what to do. He had the strong urge to rush into the freighter, trigger happy, but he knew how hypocritical it would be of him to enter the freighter without backup.

Danny pulled out his phone again. "Chin, it's me. Where are you?"

"Kono and I just got to the office. What's up? Aren't you and Steve checking out the freighter?"

"My backup decided to start without me. How fast can you guys get down here?"

"10 minutes at most."

"I have a bad feeling, Chin," Danny said honestly.

There was a pause at the other end of the line. "We'll see you in five."

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

Steve's pain when he regained consciousness back in his cell was much like a microphone malfunction. The quiet ringing that gets louder and louder and louder and then just stops. Except Steve's pain didn't stop. As he broke the surface of consciousness, everything was numb. And then he started to feel. And the more he felt, the worse it got. As the pain reached its climax, Steve hoped it would ebb away. It didn't.

He was laying on his back, prone, on the cold floor of his cell. He took labored breaths, trying to roll over onto his side, but failing as the pain nearly caused him to black out again. Steve let out a small moan of agony.

He felt weak and lightheaded, undoubtedly due to blood loss. Taking a shaky breath, Steve blocked out the pain and sat up to feel around to assess his most recently acquired injuries. To his surprise, both his gunshot wound and stab wound in his shoulder blade had been covered with gauze. It was a sloppy patch-up job, but it prevented Steve from bleeding out. Wo Fat still needed him alive.

Steve collapsed back onto the floor, covered in a cold sweat. Everything hurt… his wrists were raw and chafed from the rope that had bound them and hung them above his head. His arms ached and protested with every move he made. They felt like lead, Steve could hardly move them.

Steve tried to guess how much time had passed. He had no sense of time, and had no idea how much time had passed during his many spells of unconsciousness. There was not light to differentiate day from night…

One thing that Steve was sure of, though, was that his team was looking for him. Danny had warned him not to go into the freighter alone, and when he showed up and Steve was nowhere to be found, he would have immediately known something was wrong.

However, he couldn't stop the nagging in his head about what Wo Fat had said. That his team had no chance of finding him. Steve had complete faith in Danny, Chin, and Kono, but he couldn't help but worry that Wo Fat had taken extensive measures to hide him… all Steve could do was hope Wo Fat was wrong.

He heard footsteps outside his cell, and once again several men entered the cell. Steve was all but helpless as the butt of a gun swung towards him and it was lights out once again.

* * *

**Please review! reviews honestly make me so happy, I literally squee :) have all you whumpaholics seen the description for monday's new episode? I'm pretty excited, it seems really whumpy! :))) (hint: it involves north korea!) so i'm not sure how long this story will be... we'll have to see how many different ways i can think of to torture Steve :) We do it because we love him :) until next time... don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Where. Is. Doris. McGarrett." Wo Fat hissed, inches from Steve's face, cattle prod at the ready.

"Don't waste your breath," Steve retorted. He had survived his first round of Wo Fat and the cattle prod back in North Korea, he could do it again.

Wo Fat jammed the cattle prod into Steve's abdomen. Electricity coursed throughout Steve's body. His nerves were made of fire, his body jerked uncontrollably as the electricity seemed to spread throughout every corner of his body.

Right when Steve thought his head would implode, it stopped. Steve hung limp on the chain, taking in shallow breaths.

"You may view your determination as noble, McGarrett, but it is nothing but foolish. Make this easier for yourself – where are you hiding your mother?" Wo Fat's steely voice penetrated Steve's eardrums.

Greeted by nothing but silence on Steve's part, Wo Fat sighed. "Very well."

Steve couldn't help yelling out as the cattle prod was thrust into his side. He became numb of everything except the electricity ravaging through his body. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.

Then it was over again. Steve's body twitched randomly even after it had ended. Every part of him ached. But he still looked Wo Fat defiantly in the eyes, challenging him to come at him with everything he had.

Wo Fat smiled as he pressed the cattle prod into Steve's abdomen. Repeatedly, again and again, over and over. Steve eventually lost count, detaching himself so that it all became a blur, until everything finally went dark.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

"I told him not to go without me, but did he listen? Of course not!" Danny ranted, partially to himself, as he, Chin, and Kono climbed onto the freighter.

"Relax, Danny. We don't even know if anything has happened," Kono said.

"Then how come he's not answering his phone? I've called him half a dozen times, and he would have called me back by now." Danny countered.

"I'm just saying that we can't get ahead of ourselves," Kono said patiently as they cleared the hallways of the freighter.

"We've searched practically the entire freighter, Kono. Where the hell is he? He would have heard us by now."

Kono sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you might be right. I don't think he's here."

"I'm going to try calling him again," Chin said, pulling out his phone and plugging in Steve's speed dial.

There was a pause as the three members of 5-0 listened. And then they heard it. Faint and muted, the sound of Steve's cell phone.

"It's coming from above," Kono said, leading the way up the rusted freighter stairs, hot in pursuit of the ring.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the freighter as they got closer.

"There," Chin said, panting slightly as they skidded to a stop in a musty hallway. Steve's phone had been tossed aside against the wall of the hallway. Steve was nowhere to be found.

"Idiot! I told him! _I told him!_ Now look what's happened, he's gone and gotten-"

"That's beside the point, now Danny," Kono cut him off, glaring. "Steve's missing, and ranting is not going to help."

Danny bristled, ready to retort, before he stopped himself. _Perspective._ "OK," he said, taking a deep breath. "Kono, bag the phone to see if we can get any prints off of it. Chin, check street cams to see if there's been anybody else has been boarding or leaving this freighter in the past 24 hours."

"On it, B-" Kono started before cutting herself off awkwardly. "Danny," she corrected herself hastily.

"I'm starting to think this is something a little bigger than a petty drug smuggling operation," Danny said.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

"You know, I could have sworn we've done this before," Steve quipped at Wo Fat through the blood pooling in his mouth. "You know, the whole cattle prod, get your buddies to throw some punches thing. It feels a bit overdone, if you ask me."

"Tell me where she is, McGarrett." Wo Fat ignored him.

Steve laughed without humor. "You never learn do you? No. Chance. In. Hell. Now, if you actually want to make some progress on something, I think your torture creativity seems a bit… limited. This all just seems-"

Steve gasped as Wo Fat silenced him by pressing onto Steve's bullet wound, which was bleeding freely again.

"I don't think you'll be laughing much longer, McGarrett," Wo Fat said, taking a step back, leaving Steve trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. He motioned his goons lurking in the back of the room. "He's all yours. Make sure he suffers," Wo Fat made his way to the door. "I'll see you soon, Commander McGarrett."

Steve watched Wo Fat exit the room with pure loathing in his eyes. The two goons advanced on him, and Steve braced himself for the beating that was to come.

Steve didn't make a sound as the first goon landed two consecutive punches to Steve's stomach. Another punch hit Steve's shoulder. Another to his side. Steve swung around like a human punching bag, but still didn't make a sound.

He began to lose count as blow after blow was landed to his body. Finally, Steve couldn't help let out a grunt at an especially hard punch to his stomach. The goons seemed to take this as encouragement, and the blows became faster and harder. He moaned as one of Wo Fat's pals punched him repeatedly on the same spot on the left side of his abdomen.

Suddenly it stopped. Steve twisted limply on the chain, gasping for breath, even as with each breath he felt stabbing pain.

Steve closed his eyes, praying that the worst was over. He felt himself being released from the chains that kept him hanging from the ceiling. The goons did not bother breaking his fall as he collapsed to the ground in a puddle of dirt and blood.

He could fight back, try to get the jump on the two idiots… but as he lay there in a heap on the grime covered floor, with every breath sending tremors of pain throughout his body, Steve accepted that every ounce of strength had left his body.

He braced himself for the blow to his head that would render him unconscious so that he could be taken back to his cell. It never came.

Steve opened his eyes blearily just as he was flipped over onto his back by a boot slamming into his abdomen. He could not prevent the loud yell of pain and shock that followed.

"No…." Steve moaned as Wo Fat's cronies rained hell down upon his body and he was kicked repeatedly from every direction. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out all physical awareness. He thought of Catherine, Danny, Chin, Kono, Mary. _Happy thoughts_.

Steve's attempt at detaching himself from his grim reality was foiled as the loud, unmistakable sound of a rib snapping echoed throughout the room. Steve opened his mouth and emitted a loud, strangled grunt/moan.

His whole abdomen felt like it was on fire. It burned, every move, every breath, every beat of his heart sent jarring pain through Steve's body. He was faintly aware of his forehead pressed against the cold, unforgiving floor, and the mocking laughter of Wo Fat's goons before everything went dark.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

"Thanks. Call if you hear anything." Danny sighed as he got off the phone with HPD, telling them to keep an eye out for Steve.

Things were not looking good for his partner. After Chin had left to look for surveillance tapes, he and Kono had processed the scene. They had found a shell casing not far down the hall where they found Steve's phone. There was not confirmation yet that it had been fired in correlation with Steve's disappearance, but it did not seem likely that it was coincidence.

They had searched for over an hour for bullet fragments, but had come up empty handed. They had forensics examining the scene in-depth now.

Danny buried his face in his hands. Wherever Steve was right now, Danny could only hope he didn't have a bullet lodged in him. It wouldn't be the first time, but there was going to come a point when his partner was going to stop being so lucky.

Danny glanced at his phone. It was one o'clock.

Steve had been missing for nearly five hours.

* * *

**Greetings readers! sooo I hope the wait wasn't too long, I originally planned to post wednesday, but RL got in the way :( Anyway so I would just like to note that Steve and Danny's storylines ARE NOT completely in sync, and although they are relatively similar timeline-wise, Steve has been captive for a lot longer than where we're at with Danny right now, possibly a couple days. I'm trying to limit the amount of Danny, just because when I read whump I don't really care for all of the plot stuff with the team, I just want the whump :) Pretty please review? reviews are like digital paragraphs of pure happiness. They make me very excited :) you know you want to... **


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Upon waking up, Steve could not remember ever feeling pain quite like this. Sure, he had been in some pretty crap situations before, but by this point he had usually been in a hospital, pumped full of morphine and in a different world.

This pain was so… real. Like nothing he'd ever experienced. He felt so raw, so exposed, so… done for. There were so many sources of the indescribable pain Steve felt.

With every beat of his heart, Steve's shoulder where he had been shot felt like it was being run through with a red hot iron. Repetitively, again and again; the pulsing, burning, ripping pain pulsing through his throbbing shoulder.

Steve's stabbed shoulder felt like the flesh had been sliced by a butcher knife and grinded by a blender. The worst pain, however, was not on the surface. The bone of his shoulder blade raged with a fierce, unignorable ache, and his shoulder muscles literally felt shredded.

A dizziness washed over Steve suddenly and his vision began to obscure, but Steve fought the urge to pass out with everything he had. Covered head to toe in a cold sweat, Steve took deep (painful) breaths to ease his lightheadedness.

With as little movement as possible, as to not further worsen the wounds he had sustain, Steve inched himself backwards so that he could prop his head up against the wall.

Never before in his life had he felt so… spent. He could almost still feel the electric current passing through him, like a wave of burning water under his skin, attacking his entire body.

The pain in his head topped everything off. It was so intense, so overpowering, that it hurt to exist. His head made everything worse…. It hurt to move, hurt to breathe, it even hurt to think.

The nausea and dizziness washed over him again, and this time Steve didn't fight it, allowing unconsciousness to reel him into a world where he wouldn't have to feel.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

Steve has been missing for eight days. Eight days without a single word… no clue, no tip – nothing had turned up that had brought them closer to finding Steve.

Danny was exhausted. He hadn't gotten more than 10 hours of sleep since Steve disappeared, but no matter how hard Danny tried to relax and get some rest, he couldn't stop trying to come up with another way to find Steve.

Traffic cams in the area had revealed nothing. The shell casing had yielded no results. Security cams in the area had been wiped. The drug-trafficking case seemed to be slipping between their fingers, and it was clear that it had only been a front for the true intentions of who ever had done this… to get Steve.

Or something like that. Danny had no idea, because he had been unable to turn up a damn thing in this case, and he couldn't deny that he had absolutely no idea what had happened.

He didn't have a clue where his partner was.

Danny cursed, kicking the trash can out of frustration, sending it flying across the room. The smash that followed was not nearly as satisfying as Danny imagined it. Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was glad Chin and Kono hadn't been there to see his outburst.

Danny sank into the chair at his desk, stress practically radiating off of him. He turned on his computer and pulled up the file they had on Wo Fat.

Wherever Steve was, Danny knew that Wo Fat had something to do with it, and he was determined to find him.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

Steve felt something pulling him back to the land of the living. He knew that whatever it was, it wouldn't be good, and he fought to stay asleep with everything he had.

Suddenly he was drenched to the bone, ice cold water soaking him and his clothes.

Steve gasped, his eyes flying open as he spluttered up water, rolling over onto his side as he coughed.

He felt himself roughly yanked to his feet, spluttering and shivering. He was plunged into darkness as a hood was pulled over his head and he felt a gun jabbing into his back, ushering him forwards.

This was the first time they had moved him while he was conscious, and despite how utterly burned out he was and how much pain he was in, Steve's instinctive skills as a SEAL could not be suppressed as he stumbled forward.

_Ten paces forward. Turn right. 25 paces forward. Turn right. _

Steve knew they had reached the final destination before he had been halted. He could sense the atmosphere of the room he had just entered… the musty humidity was unmistakable.

The hood was yanked off of his head, and even in the dim light, Steve was temporarily blinded. In those few seconds of vulnerability, Steve felt himself being forced into a chair. Despite the pain, Steve could not let himself be subdued without a fight.

Summoning strength Steve hadn't even thought he had anymore, he twisted the arms of the men who had a hold of him, slipping out of their grip. Steve made a beeline towards the door, but he had not made it more than a few strides before he felt himself slammed into the wall.

Grunting from the pain in his ribs, Steve fell to the floor. Resigned, Steve acknowledged to himself that he hadn't stood a chance at escaping as he was pulled none-to-gently to his feet once again, this time being forced into the chair without a fight.

He could not count how many men there were… their faces we all a blur… everything in his vision was disjointed. Exhausted, Steve let his head loll back as his wrists were forced into leather straps on hard wooden armrests, his ankles strapped to the chair legs, and his midriff secured by a tight strap to the back of the chair, cutting into his brutally beaten abdomen.

Sound was fuzzy and his vision tunneling as he felt himself slipping again. Steve though he heard somebody shouting in front of his face, but he was too far to come back now…

A whip-like slap to his face brought Steve abruptly back to consciousness. Wo Fat's face swam in front of him.

"You are weak Commander McGarret," Wo Fat said smugly, "You won't last much longer. It is just a matter of time before you tell us where your mother is hiding."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And as much as Steve wanted to tell him to shove it where the sun don't shine, he simply could not afford to waste his strength.

Wo Fat did not overlook Steve's silence. He laughed softly. "No witty retort, Commander? My, it seems you're breaking much easier than we originally thought…"

Steve simply raised his head to meet Wo Fat's stare with a look of the utmost loathing. Wo Fat just smiled.

Wo Fat turned around and began to rummage through things that Steve could not see. Steve felt his stomach sink as Wo Fat turned around, syringe in hand. Whatever was next was not going to be good.

"Do you know what this is, Commander McGarrett?"

"Surprise me," Steve replied sardonically, his retort not coming out as well as planned, more of a hoarse croak than anything else.

"This is venom extracted from a Texas Coral Snake, and it's been shipped all the way to Hawaii just for you."

"Still in Hawaii, then, are we?"

Wo Fat did not seem perturbed by Steve's picking up on his slip-up. He just smiled elusively, saying, "in a manner of speaking."

Steve glared at Wo Fat, the arrogant little bastard.

"You're changing the subject though, Commander. I was just telling you about the Texas Coral Snake. I could have gotten venom from any other type of coral snake a lot easier, but they say that the… _degree_ of pain caused by the venom of a Texas coral snake is just on a completely different level that from that of other breeds. I had to go through quite a hassle to get this, McGarrett, but you know what? You're worth it."

Wo Fat advanced on Steve, the syringe balanced lightly between his fingertips. Steve was completely helpless as Wo Fat gripped his arm tightly with one hand, syringe in the other, as he felt for a vein.

Wo Fat smiled and straightened up as he found what he was looking for.

"The pain," he told Steve, positioning the needle, "is said to be… _excruciating_. Your nerves will _literally_ feel like they are being dipped in acid."

Steve exhaled sharply as Wo Fat plunged the syringe into his arm, his heart pounding rapidly with the apprehension of what was to come.

"Take him back to his cell," Wo Fat called to the guards. "I don't want to listen to the screaming while I eat dinner."

* * *

**A/N: gasp! what lies in store for poor Steve? spoiler alert: WHUUUUMP! Personally, I think that the use of chemicals and toxins is a completely underutilized form of torture in the whole Whump!Steve category. next chapter is gonna be pretty legit ;) mwahaha. Next episode is going to have Wo Fat, though, so that ought to be interesting! (does anybody understand what's going on with Doris's box thing? am i correct in that it puts Steve in danger? *grins sadistically*) I would have liked to have gotten this up sooner, but I have been absolutely SWAMPED by homework this week and have had absolutely no time to write. *tears* Also right now I think Steve and Danny's storylines are at about the same point in time right now, about 8 days. **

**aaanyway don't forget to review! Reviews might just inspire me to get the next chapter posted sooner, if you get my drift ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings, lovelies! sorry for the delay, I've been emotionally wrecked all week by Iron Man 3 :P (I fangirl over him so hard...) But more to come at the end, I just wanted to give you a heads up that the end might be a little hard to understand because the grammar is obviously not right, but that's on purpose. Let the whumping begin!**

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

A stumbling Steve is ushered by an entourage of half a dozen heavily armed guards back to his cell. The door is opened, and Steve is thrown inside. The door is closed and locked before he hits the ground.

Steve hits the cold floor hard. He sits up, his heart beating faster than it ever had before in his life. Was that the fear and dread and panic Steve felt creeping its way into his mind, or was that the symptoms of the venom already kicking in?

He told himself not to panic, taking slow, deep breaths. All of the pain from before was forgotten now. It was still there, but Steve refused to acknowledge it. He had more important things to think about now.

_Keep a clear head_, Steve told himself. He scrambled backwards to sit against the wall, still taking determined deep breaths. Steve closed his eyes for a moment, willing his body to calm down. There was nothing he could do now but wait.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

It was nine days since Steve vanished. Danny knew Wo Fat was behind it. Unfortunately, Five-0 had been chasing Wo Fat around for three years and they still hadn't managed to capture him, so Danny was kind of at a loss. He would pull out all of the stops hunting this bastard down, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that was telling him it wouldn't do any good.

He was on his way to meet Catherine for lunch. He knew that she was going through just as much pain and stress as he was, if not more.

He pulled up at the restaurant three minutes past noon, and Catherine was already sitting at a table, looking quite frankly terrible. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, and her skin was pale and sickly. Still, she offered him a half-hearted smile as he sat down, but it really came off as more of a grimace.

"Any luck?" Danny asked, not bothering with formalities.

"I've got every state in America and every country I could persuade looking out for this guy. I've called in favors, collected on IOUs, everything I can possibly think of that has the slightest possibility of helping us find Steve," Catherine said, her voice breaking ever so slightly at Steve's name.

"Thank you so much, Catherine. For everything. I know how hard this must be for you, and you've been such a help…"

"Don't be ridiculous, Danny. I'd be pulling out all the stops to the find Steve and Wo Fat regardless of whether or not you asked for my help. I just wish that there was more that I could do…" Catherine said, her expression hard.

"Actually," Danny said, "there is something I've been wanting to talk to you about. I was wondering if you'd be willing to be hired on as a temporary consultant for this case. We could really use the extra pair of hands."

Catherine bit her lip, nodding slowly. "My commanding officer has been bugging me to take some personal days, so I think I could probably get away with it…"

There was a pause in which nobody spoke. An unsaid, mutual camaraderie had suddenly formed between them out of their joint determination to get Steve back.

"We have to find him, Danny," she whispered after a moment.

Danny sighed. "I know. Believe me, I know."

"I know what happened in North Korea. I know I wasn't there, and Steve doesn't like to talk about it, but I've done my research, and I know what Wo Fat did to him. And back then Wo Fat wasn't even sure if Steve knew Shelbourne's identity or not, and he only had Steve for three days. This time Wo Fat knows Shelbourne is Steve's mother, and he knows Steve knows where she is. He's had him for nine days," Catherine finally made eye contact with Danny, and Danny could see unshed tears in her eyes.

"I'm scared, Danny."

Danny sighed. "Yeah, me too."

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

It started with pins and needles. He first felt it in his feet, and then his fingers, and then it started creeping up his arms, spreading…

The pins and needles gradually became more intense, until Steve's body literally began to tremble from the furious intensity of the sensation. Still, Steve kept a clear head, because this pain… it was nothing, really. He knew there was more coming.

And then the pins turned into fire. It started off like glowing embers on a dying campfire. At first Steve wasn't really aware of it, until the warmth got hotter, and then there were flames licking up through his body, and suddenly he was hot, too hot, and it was everywhere and it was burning and he was sweating and everything was happening so fast and it freaking burned and Jesus Christ he felt like his insides were melting.

And he was gasping, taking in raspy breaths, and when had he fallen over? Because his face was pressed up against the ground but was it really the ground because he remember the ground being cold, but now it was hot, so hot, and everything burned.

Steve groped around the floor, his eyes squeezed shut, looking for something he could hold onto. Just something he could grasp, squeeze, just give him something he could hold onto for support.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to make any other sound besides his rapid, slightly pained breathing. He was glad no one could see him like this; so weak, so defenseless, so vulnerable.

He told himself he could ride this pain out, just hold on a little longer, it would subside… but it didn't subside. It got worse.

It was completely sudden, not gradual like the burning. One second Steve was trying to distract himself from the burning in his body, telling himself _just a little bit longer_, and then out of nowhere, it was like his nerves were being dipped in acid.

He couldn't help it – he yelled out in shock, and strangled cry of pain.

It was like when you get hand sanitizer on a cut, only infinity times worse. Every sensory neuron in Steve's body was electrified, burning, sizzling…

Literally, the only thing Steve knew was pain. Everything that gave Steve a sense of touch felt like it had exploded into acid and was spreading to every inch of his body. There was nothing but pain. Every other sense was nonexistent; he couldn't see, he couldn't hear… it was all just pure, unrelenting pain.

Every wave of pain racked his body with an intense, unremitting force Steve had never experienced before. Nothing he had felt before was even _remotely_ like this; it was like a whole new sense had been activated in his body, and was hell-bent on ripping Steve apart. The pain was impossible to get used to – every wave hurt worse than the one before it.

The excruciating pain was taking over every part of his brain – it was like he had been swallowed by it; consumed. He didn't know where he was, who he was, what he had done to deserve this.

Time had no meaning, because this pain was not going away, it was unrelenting, it wouldn't be finished until it had killed him.

Steve was unaware of the way he was thrashing on the ground, heaving, twitching. He was unaware of the fact that he was screaming, crying out in words that were sometimes clear, sometimes completely unintelligible, or sometimes just plain screams of pain.

But eventually, hours later, as the pain died down ever so slightly, Steve would become aware of somebody in the distance screaming. He would think that somebody else was there, that he was not alone in his hell, and that they were being tortured too. An hour after that Steve would notice how sore and raw his throat was, and realize in fact that he was the one screaming.

The pain wouldn't completely subside until a day later. 24 whole hours of excruciating, hellish, barbaric pain. When it was finally over, Steve would pass out in pure exhaustion, as the toxin had mercilessly kept him conscious the entire time. Steve would stay passed out for two whole days before waking up, empty and broken.

But that hadn't happened yet, and Stave was still in only the first stages of the toxin's brutal symptoms. When the pain finally did come to an end, right before passing out, Steve remembered having one clear thought – praying to God, if by some crazy chance He was out there, watching, that Danny would find him, because he didn't know how much longer he could last.

* * *

**A/N: sheesh, i'm beginning to feel a bit like a psychopath... but it's so much fun! mwhahaha... yeah. sooo umm I going to try to finish this before season 3 ends, but I'm not sure... k can I just rant about something? I'm getting really irritated by the producers of this show. like, I mean obviously it's not the highest quality of shows, but they totally cheapen everything about the show with these stupid gueststars that they use to try to gain viewers. Like last weeks episode made me so mad because it was so. stupid. They caught Wo-Fat, which is kind of a big deal, right? but the whole episode is ruined by this stupid reporter chick. grrrr...**

**ANYWAY reviews make me happy. you should review. DOITDOITDOIT.**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Steve was lying on the floor of his cell. He wasn't sure how long he had been there. It had been a while since the toxin had worn off, although occasionally he would feel his body jerk in response to traces of the toxin still in his system, feeding on his nerves…

They had left him alone for a while now. He faded in and out of consciousness, feverish and all around shitty. Try as he might to resist, Steve could feel his body beginning to betray him. His health was deteriorating alarmingly fast, and no SEAL training could stop his eventual death, which was inevitable if Danny didn't show up soon.

Steve was pretty sure it had been a few days since the toxin had sapped every ounce of his strength. It was so hard to tell, though… He was in and out of consciousness all the time, and never could tell how much time had passed; whether it was day or night.

The upside of being left alone was that he wasn't being tortured, which was always a good thing. The downside, however, was that Steve was pretty sure that this was the weakest he'd ever been in his life. They'd given him a little bit of water about once a day, and food maybe once or twice, but Steve hadn't been supplied with anything since the toxin.

Steve's body had been through a hell of a lot in his lifetime, but the weakness in his bones, the hollowness he felt inside… they all told him that his bod was in the beginning stages of giving out.

Steve sighed, feeling every injury he had sustained as of yet in full force, as each wound individually was trying to find some way to defeat his immune system, trying to make his heart give out…. Resigned, Steve once again allowed darkness to obscure his vision as he allowed himself to succumb to unconsciousness.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

It had been 14 days since Danny's partner had disappeared. Two weeks of no leads, no hope… but Danny had decided that it was time to ditch the depressive, brooding persona he had been sporting the past couple weeks. It was time that he come at this case with a new attitude.

Danny was angry. Angry and determined. Angry that his partner was such a _stupid asshole_ and determined to find him and bring him home. Angry that someone (Wo Fat) had Steve locked up somewhere (because Danny refused to considered the whole 'dead' possibility) and determined to throw the bastard in a jail cell where he could rot for the rest of his life.

In accordance to this new attitude, Danny had put a stop to fruitless sulking. Over the past few nights he had gotten full nights' sleep, and was ready to tackle this case with a clear, non-catatonic mind.

He had Chin, Kono, and Catherine backing him up, and he'd be damned if there was a finer team out there for finding their bat-shit crazy super SEAL.

50505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050 505050505050505050

When Steve woke up, he was slightly disturbed to find that he had been moved out of his cell and hadn't even woken up during the process.

He was also shocked to find that he felt considerably better than before. Not that he felt good – he was in a permanent state of being run over by a herd of angry buffalos. That being said, he did feel like he was capable of sitting up on his own, possibly even stumble across a room without collapsing into a pitiful heap.

He could already till, however, that the latter wasn't going to be possible. He was strapped to some sort of vertically slanted operating table, and frankly couldn't get up even if he tried.

He was in the cleanest room he had seen in God knows how long, the polished a pristine white nearly blinding him.

A man in a white lab coat had his back to him and was fiddling with something. It wasn't hard for Steve to deduce that he was in some kind of lab.

"_Please_ tell me you're not going to do some sick kind of surgery on me," Steve said.

If the man hadn't been aware that Steve was awake, he didn't let on. He chuckled, turning to face Steve. He was Asian, probably part of the Yakuza. "No, Mr. McGarrett, believe it or not, that is not on the agenda for our session today."

"I hope you're not trying to reassure me," Steve said blithely.

"Mr. McGarrett, it has come to our attention that your body has taken a turn for a worse as a result of the injuries inflicted upon in. I have been tasked with restoring just enough health to your body so that Wo Fat can continue his interrogations of you without the risk of having you dying on him."

"You have shit bedside manner, Doc," Steve said bluntly.

"Oh, I am not a doctor, Commander. Just a scientist, but the closest Wo Fat could find to the former."

"And I suppose you're supposed to form some kind of personal connection with me, try to weasel information out of me?"

The man laughed. "Quite the contrary, Mr. McGarrett. I couldn't care less what happens to you. I just do whatever Wo Fat requires. Which just so happens to include making sure you don't die."

"Aren't you just a bottle of sunshine." Steve panned.

The scientist ignored him. He grabbed a bottle of water off the table and approached Steve, holding it up to his lips. "Drink."

Steve, however tempted he was to spit the water into the man's face, decided it would be within his best interest to obey, and drank the water with as much dignity as a man strapped to a table and being force fed could.

After that Steve was given several injections.

Noticing the weary look on Steve's face, the scientist said, "Don't worry, I think we're done with the whole snake poison thing. That's what jump started the whole 'dying' thing. These are just antibiotics to keep the stab wounds and gunshot wound at bay… temporarily. I'm under strict orders not to give you more than what will prevent infection just for the next few days."

Steve was silent. After a few moments of silence, "How long have I been here?"

It was a long shot, Steve knew, and even if the scientist answered him, he had no way of knowing whether or not he was being honest.

The man raised his eyebrows at Steve's request. "What makes you think that I'd tell you?"

Steve shrugged noncommittally. "Nothing. I just thought it was worth a shot."

There was a silence. The man continued to fiddle around with various tools for two minutes in silence. Then, "Sixteen days."

Steve looked up, surprised. By no means did Steve trust this man, nor would he hesitate to snap his neck in the near future, but for some reason, he believed him. Steve gave him a curt nod, then settled to close his eyes and prepare himself for whatever torture Wo Fat had in store for him next.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, so a shockingly whump-free chapter. However much I hate not hurting Steve (don't judge me), I had to be somewhat realistic in that I can't just keep torturing him horribly and expect him not to die. So now I'm going to make him slightly better and then torture him some more :) mwahaha**

**KEEP IN MIND again that Danny and Steve's timelines aren't completely in sync. They will sync up eventually, though, for obvious reasons. **

**And I've been getting a lot of reviews saying that they hope Steve doesn't die. SPOILER ALERT I'M NOT GOING TO KILL STEVE. lol super seal is invincible.. ish :) but yeah. Steve aint gonna die folks :) however, I still am mourning the loss of his hair. WHY, STEVE, WHY? People have also been saying they hope Steve gets rescued soon... trololol come on people. I will not stop until I have single-handedly written the whumpiest fic in the history of H50 fanfiction. Cue evil laugh. Somebody also suggested in a review that I seek psychiatric help. I'm not sure if they were being serious or not (lol). I do ponder that every day, as I constantly alarm myself with my obsessive fangirling tendencies.. **

**whoooh. long author's note. ONE MORE THING not completely sure when the next update will come. not too long, don't worry, BUT a week from now I am going to be so emotionally wrecked, you have no idea. We've got the Office series finale on Thursday, and that is going to have my heart thoroughly incapacitated, and then we have the finale of Doctor Who series 7 on Saturday, which is going to be crazy intense. I don't even know if you guys watch these shows, but Doctor Who is so fantastical, I wouldn't put it past myself to have a complete panic attack by the end of that episode. **

**I really need to get a life. DEEP BREATHS. gaah and now I just remembered H50 tomorrow, and that has the potential to be quite whumpy, me thinks. **

**OK I'M GOING NOW. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW. **


	7. Chapter 7

**sooo... hi? **

***hides under oversized history textbooks***

**sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry! So this entire author's note is basically just going to be me apologizing profusely and explaining why I haven't updated in over a month. **

**This last month or so has been unbelievably stressful, as I got hit full force with a shit-load of homework, long-term projects, and shit I had to memorize. And then I had finals, and I had to study harder than I've ever studied before in my life to get my history grade up 3% to an A. I've been under so much pressure and honestly have had no time to write. Don't feel too sorry for me though, because like honestly, first-world problems is like flashing in neon lights above my head right now. **

**ANYWAY, i'm back, as i'm finally on summer vacation, and I think you all can look forward to pretty regular updates from here on out :) So, without further ado, I give you a particularly whumpy chapter to make up for my absence :) YAY FOR WHUMP!**

* * *

_Last time: Steve was doing really shitty, so they gave him just enough medical treatment to keep him alive so that they could torture him some more. Danny, Catherine, Kono, and Chin have gotten no closer to finding Steve. _

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN

Steve was startled into consciousness by what seemed to be a dozen men pouring into his cell. He didn't feel nearly as terrible as he had been the past few days, but that really wasn't saying much.

Steve felt himself flipped over onto his back by two men. Despite being outnumber at least 10 to one, Steve refused to go down easy. Swiping out one of his legs, he cut the legs out from underneath one of the men who had a hold of him.

In an instant, four more men were on him, and Steve felt someone's boot pin his head to the ground. He struggled fruitlessly as his hands were tied behind his back. There was shouting in Japanese that Steve was too distracted and too tired to translate into English.

A few seconds later, a giant tub filled with water was being dragged into the room.

He didn't say anything, and even though he wasn't particularly encouraged by the appearance of the tub of water, he was not too discouraged by it. He was a SEAL. Resistance to waterboarding and holding his breathe had been drilled extensively into his mind from his rigorous SEAL training. Already, Steve was preparing himself for what he knew what was about to happen.

_Deep breaths. Slow down heart rate. Clear mind._

"それを移動,"one of the goons snapped. "Wo Fat is getting impatient, 浮きかす."

Steve felt himself being dragged forward to the tub.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

"Last chance to fess up, McGarrett," The goon said menacingly.

Steve smirked at him. "あなたが得た私にすべてを与える, asshole."

With that, Steve felt himself dunked into the less-than-room-temperature water. He didn't struggle; that would only drain his energy faster.

Steve immediately began to count. He knew his own limit, he just hoped that these nimrods wouldn't risk going that far.

He nearly laughed after they brought him up after only one minute. Completely unfazed, Steve winked mockingly at the idiot supervising, all whilst inconspicuously sucking in copious amounts of oxygen, prepping himself for the next round.

It was a good thing he did, because a moment later he was slammed back into the water. They took a much more aggressive approach this time, jerking his head around, creating waves and underwater currents that slammed into his face.

_Stay calm,_ Steve repeated his mantra to himself.

When, two minutes later, they brought him back up again, Steve only took a moment to take in a few gasps of air before he grinned. "That all you got?"

And down again. Three minutes came and went, and as four minutes grew nearer and nearer, Steve started to feel the strain in his lungs that so desperately craved air. Just as Steve was about to start worrying about his limit, which was quickly approaching, he felt himself wrenched back out of the water.

The second that Steve reflexively opened his lungs to gulp in air, he was shoved back down again into the water, and suddenly he was choking, breathing in water instead of air. And no one, not even a SEAL, could prevent what followed.

As the first of the water entered Steve's lungs, he instinctively began to choke. As he spluttered and coughed, more water gushed into his lungs. Soon his whole body was heaving, but his head securely pressed underwater.

Steve could not stop the darkness that began to cloud his vision, and his body grew limp as he passed out.

.

.

.

Steve returned to consciousness seconds later, coughing up unholy amounts of water, desperately trying to gasp in air. Alternating between coughing, gasping, and choking, Steve was hunched over on his side on the cold, hard ground.

When at last Steve had expelled the last of the water from his lungs, he felt his head lifted from the ground by one of the goons' grip on his hair.

"Where is she?" The sickly warm breath of the goon was right against his ear.

Steve twisted his head to meet the thug's glare and spat at his feet in response.

The goon motioned to his companions, and Steve found himself submerged in water once again.

Danny counted 19 days since Steve had disappeared. And finally, at long last, _progress_.

Catherine had come in that morning with the usual news – nobody, anywhere, had seen or heard anything about Steve McGarrett. But during lunch she had gotten the call that had changed everything.

Various transactions from bank accounts all around the globe had been made to the Yakuza. Bank accounts that, upon closer investigation, appeared to be linked to Wo Fat.

Catherine's victorious shout upon getting off the phone with her contact had drawn the attention of the entire 5-0 team.

The wide grin spread across her face as she turned to face them had been almost unsettling, as such smiles had been nonexistent in 5-0's headquarters in the 19 days that Steve had been missing.

"I think we got something," was what Catherine said in response to the three faces staring intently at her with questioning eyes.

Steve lay on his back in his cell, in solitude once again. He breathed in shallow, raspy breaths, staring at the ceiling, savoring the oxygen in his lungs. Occasionally his blank composure would be broken as his body was once again racked by savage coughs, expelling any left over water that had been lingering in Steve's lungs.

Steve's head pounded with pressure unlike anything he had experienced before. As if the headache excruciating migraine wasn't crippling enough, the fever that had been festering in Steve's body for over two weeks now, which he had managed to fight back and keep at bay up until this point, had finally broken through.

The heat ravaged his body, which, when combined with the agony in Steve's head, had brought complete disorientation upon Steve. He was drenched in sweat, and everything around him was a blur. Time had begun to have no meaning as Steve's world became nothing but prolonged, agonizing aches, nausea, and dizziness.

Frankly, it was a miracle that the fever had taken so long to take hold of him. He had been shot over two weeks ago, and not long after that he had been stabbed and cut repeatedly. So, in perspective, it was indeed a miracle that it had taken this long for the infection to set in.

But if there was one thing Steve knew for sure, it was that he was in more trouble now than he had ever been before in the past 16+ days. Never before had Steve acknowledged his dire need to get out of the hellhole as much as he did now. Now that the fever had set in, Steve knew that he had a matter of days before he succumbed to the infection.

Catherine's fingers flew across her keyboard at the speed of light as she pulled up the intel she had just received from her contact. "The total sum of the transactions came out to about half a million US dollars," she explained to Danny, Chin, and Kono, not taking her eyes of her work.

"Do we have any way of finding out what that money went towards?" Kono asked.

Chin sighed. "I doubt it. That would require knowledge of the Yakuza's activity all over the globe, as we have no idea which Yakuza cell across the world that money went to. And even if we did know where exactly the money went, it would still be highly improbable that we would ever be able to trace…" Chin trailed off at the sight of Catherine's almost cocky smirk. Chin's lips twitched upwards slightly as he looked at her. "Let me guess: there's a little more to the story than that."

"Just a bit," Catherine grinned. "What you were saying would have been true, _except_ for the fact that the Yakuza has been under a lot of heat lately and they've been laying low. They tried to cover their tracks, but unfortunately for them, it's not a difficult task to figure out where half a million dollar transaction is going when all other Yakuza bank activity has been dormant for the past few months."

"We were able to follow the money." Kono smiled knowingly. It wasn't a question.

"The money's ultimate destination was to a Yakuza stronghold on the Big Island (**A/N: Hawaii's biggest island, formally known as Hawaii**)."

"So, if we can figure out what Wo Fat needed from the Yakuza so badly that he would pay them half a million dollars, we can trace that back to Steve?" Danny spoke up for the first time in the entire exchange.

Catherine met Danny's eyes, suddenly mirroring the determined look that had taken hold there.

"Exactly."

* * *

**So, now I would like to openly admit to how much of this chapter is total BS. Like, gaping plot and factual holes the size of Tartarus. But, as I've stated before, I don't really give a crap about all that stuff, as the sole purpose of this story is to whump Steve. But yeah. Like all that stuff with the bank accounts and stuff probably makes no sense and I just BSed all of it so we could move the plot along. This is me shamelessly admitting to the complete nonexistence of factual correctness in my story. So if none of that bank transaction stuff made any since to you, just go along with the fact that they actually have a lead in tracking Steve down. I also admit that I used Google Translate for the Japanese, and as I wrote the very start of this chapter like a month ago, and the rest this morning, I have absolutely no recollection of what it translates to. lol. sorry bout that. **

**..forgive me for my flagrant disregard for quality story telling?**

**Anyway, if you haven't been too offended by my brutally honest author's note, pleeeeaaaase review! **


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Steve knew that his time was almost up. His body shook with uncontrollable tremors, he had a deep, intense ache in his chest (as if an elephant was standing on it), and each breath was a painful struggle that came out as a raspy gasp. His difficulty breathing was magnified by the fact that he had chronic, intense coughing fits every few minutes that left him wheezing and heaving for air that his lungs could barely take in in the first place.

And although he had begun to lose feeling in his various stab/gunshot wounds, he by no means was in any less pain. A raging fever had taken over his body. He was burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. His head ached and pounded and felt like it was imploding so much that Steve practically prayed to lose consciousness.

He had no idea how long it had been since the last visit by his captors. Time had lost all meaning. Every moment Steve spent was focused on the next breath, the next stabbing pain in his head, and the way that his lungs felt like they were being severed from the rest of his body.

* * *

One day after their breakthrough, the 5-0 team was working furiously and nonstop to find out what and why Wo Fat had invested half a million dollars to the Yakuza for. Unfortunately, it was not an easy task.

"The Yakuza aren't stupid," Danny sighed as yet another lead turned into a dead end. "They know how to cover their tracks."

There was a silence from Chin, Kono, and Catherine. They, like Danny, had also been turning up nothing but dead ends, and had all reached the same conclusion.

Kono sighed. Catherine sipped her fifth coffee numbly. Chin ran his fingers through his hair.

"You know, maybe we're doing this wrong." Catherine mused.

"How do you think?" Chin asked.

"Well," Catherine said slowly, "what we're doing now is just trying to trace what the Yakuza used the money for. Maybe the Yakuza never actually used the money for something specific."

"You think that the Yakuza transferred the money along to someone else?" Kono worked out, eyebrows raised, pondering this possibility.

"Almost like a middleman…" Danny said, frowning slightly. "That doesn't really seem like the Yakuza's thing, you know?"

"Yes, but I don't see any other explanation," Catherine sighed. "I mean, it's the only reason why we haven't found anything yet."

"Maybe Wo Fat simply paid them to get the job done, and the Yakuza took it upon themselves to hire on outside help." Chin theorized.

There was a pause of silence. Then Danny nodded. "Ok. This could work. Let's change our strategy, come at it from this angle."

Spoken words quickly faded, replaced by the sound of furious typing on keyboards as the members of 5-0 worked to bring Steve home.

* * *

Steve was not sure how long he had been asleep when he was awoken with a jolt by another relentless and particularly draining coughing fit.

When it had finally passed, and Steve desperately gasped for air, he realized with a jolt a disturbing and alarming development.

The hand he had been coughing into was suddenly covered in blood.

* * *

Three hours later, the silence at 5-0 headquarters remained unbroken. Until...

"Shit." Chin breathed. Normally his curse would have been acknowledged as an exclamation of frustration. This time, however, it was different. He said it in a way that clearly expressed wonder and shock, attracting the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Danny…" Chin said slowly, not taking his eyes off his screen, his eyebrows knit together it concentration. "I… I think I got it."

There was a brief silence. Then, simultaneously, the sound of chairs being scooted out and pushed aside filled the room as everyone converged on Chin.

"Let's hear it." Danny said.

Chin took a deep breath. "$400,000 was wired last month to an off-shore bank account belonging to a prominent black market dealer, known only by his alias 'Brimstone'. From what I've been able to turn up, it appears that Wo Fat, through the Yakuza, through Brimstone, has indirectly purchased a submarine."

Danny took a second to let this information sink in. "A… _submarine_?" Danny repeated slowly in disbelief.

"It would appear so," Chin said dryly.

"Great," Kono said, her eyes flashing. "Steve could be anywhere under the fucking ocean and we have practically no chance of finding him."

"Not quite," Chin said, and much to everyone's surprise, he smiled. "See, the sub in question has been out of commission for years. It no longer functions as a completely submergible vehicle."

"What are you saying?" Catherine asked sharply.

Chin grinned, looking up at them. "I'm saying that there is an almost 100% chance that Steve is being held in this submarine. And this submarine is incapable of going _anywhere_ anytime soon. It's a stationary sitting duck."

"Chin," Danny said quietly, trying to ignore the explosion of cartwheels and fireworks igniting in his mind, "Please, _please_ tell me you have a fix on the location of that submarine."

"You bet I do."

* * *

Steve floated in and out of consciousness. His vision was blurred and tinged with random colors. He thought he heard voices. He didn't see anyone, so he assumed they were in his head. However, he could not make out what they were saying.

He was dizzy. He couldn't think, and his breaths had shifted from quick, short gasps to shallow, slow wheezes.

He could feel the frantic, booming beat of his heart, fast in his chest, struggling wildly against the fever that was trying to take over. It pounded in his chest, pulsing, _boom boom boom boom boom_.

It was to the sound of his ailing heart that Steve passed out once again.

* * *

"Chin and Kono – status!" Danny barked from his office as he hurriedly gathered up his gear.

"Almost ready," Chin's voice came from a location unknown on the other side of 5-0 headquarters.

"HPD is enroute, we're going to meet up with them on the way," Kono said, appearing outside of his door, her gear ready and in hand.

Danny took a deep breath and nodded, already feeling clenching in his heart in anticipation of what was about to transpire. He and Kono walked over to join Chin and Catherine.

For a moment they all just looked at each other, acknowledging the significance of the moment. Then Danny said with a sigh, "Alright. Let's bring him home."

* * *

**A/N: so, this one is kind of short, but it was pretty significant! Rescue time! Yay! (or aw, to those who wanted more whump... sorry lol) Yeah. So the story is sort of drawing to an end now. I'm thinking 2 or 3 more chapters? Maybe more, I honestly have no idea. **

**WE PASSED 100 REVIEWS! YAAAAAAAAY! YOU GUYS ARE FANTASTIC! and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the reviews last chapter... not one person was mad about my lack of updates (guiltguiltguilt), and it amused me how many people also do not give a crap about the plot. Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one! It's all about the whump :)**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW. EVEN IF IT'S JUST A SMILEY FACE. reviews=liquified sunshine. (that doesn't even make sense... oh well)**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Due to Danny's complete disregard for the speed limit, he and the Camaro were caught up to the HPD patrol cars rushing through traffic in no time. Danny was pushing 80, but it still didn't seem fast enough. At this point, every second counted. Danny wanted to be rescuing Steve **right now**, not in the hour and a half from now that it was going to take to get there.

Danny drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel when the indicator on his speedometer inched down as he hit traffic and cars frantically tried to get out of the way of the cars with flashing blue lights.

_Just a little while longer, Steve._

* * *

Chin and Kono lost Danny about five minutes after they all left headquarters.

"_Christ!_" Kono swore as she slammed on the breaks as horns blared and cars skidded – a direct result of Danny blatantly ran a red light.

They could only watch, stuck behind the mass confustion, as the Camaro sped away. Chin glared as the drivers ahead of them took their time to get going again. With a sigh of frustration, he quickly turned on their police lights and sirens. The second that a narrow space opened up, Kono blasted down on the accelerator, flying forward, leaving the intersection in the dust.

The two cousins were completely silent as they raced through midday traffic. Neither one was really thinking. They both had identical mentalities of stubborn determination as they stared furiously at the road ahead of them, knowing that every mile brought them closer to Steve.

_We're coming, Steve._

* * *

Catherine hadn't stayed with Danny and Kono's cars for very long, quickly taking an alternate route. She didn't know if it was faster or not, but she knew that she needed distance from her three other almost-colleagues. She knew that it was unfair for her to think that she cared more about Steve than they did, and she knew that they all felt the necessity to have him back.

However, she couldn't help longing for him in a way that she knew none of the others did. She and Steve had known each other for years and years. They had a long, complicated history that went way back. They had been to hell and back together. And she needed him.

She knew that Steve wasn't dead (and she refused to consider the alternative). Steve was strong – stronger than anybody else she knew, and she knew that Steve was out there, fighting. Fighting to live. Fighting to come back to her. And Danny. And Kono and Chin and the countless others who cared about him.

And she'd be damned if she had come all this way for nothing.

_I'm almost there, Steve._

* * *

An hour into the hour and a half ride, Danny noticed Catherine's car rejoin the motorcade that consisted of a him, Chin and Kono, and a dozen HPD cars. He didn't wonder where she had been. That was her own business. All that Danny cared about was the fact that he was half an hour away from finding his partner.

* * *

Wo Fat had been reading a book in his quarters when he was alerted by a sharp knock on his door. "Enter," he said lazily.

It was his current second-in-command (he went through second-in-commands very quickly). "Sir, we've been alerted to HPD about half an hour out."

Wo Fat wasn't particularly surprised. It had taken them long enough. "How many?"

"About a dozen squad cars, sir."

"Do we have time to move the prisoner?" he asked slowly and thoughtfully.

"It is doubtful, sir. Sir, I suggest that you evacuate as quickly as possible."

Wo Fat sighed, mildly irritated by the officer's urgency. "Very well. See that the prisoner is sufficiently dealt with by the time they arrive."

The officer nodded stiffly. "Yes sir," he said stiffly before making a hasty exit.

With an air of disappointment, Wo Fat collected his things into a bag. It was a shame that McGarrett would have to die before he could tell him information on Shelbourne.

* * *

In his dank, dark cell, lying on the floor, some remote, distant part of Steve's brain registered the echoing footsteps that were getting closer and closer.

A slightly large part of Steve's brain became aware of hands roughly grabbing his limp body and lifting him.

Steve didn't even know if he was in pain anymore. He had no clue whether or not he had become numb or if he simply had become unable to distinguish between what was pain and what was not. His breaths were shallow, slow, and far in between.

However, Steve did become distinctly conscious of what happened next. He knew exactly what was happening. A part of him wanted to fight it, to hold on a bit longer. But Steve had already been down that road. He was done fighting…

As the rope was secured around his neck at one end and tied to the ceiling at the other, Steve prepared himself to welcome death.

* * *

The HPD cars pulled to a stop about half a mile away from the shore of Oahu, home to the pier that held the submarine.

"Do you think they know we're coming?" Chin asked Danny as he was exiting the Camaro.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Danny said grimly as he loaded his gun.

They were in a remote, isolated part of Oahu, almost completely uninhabited. From the satellite footage, Danny knew that the shoreline was all but deserted, with nothing but a shady, dingy dock to clue them in on Steve's whereabouts.

The sounds of cocking guns filled the air as Danny, Kono, Chin, and Catherine donned bulletproof vests.

"Ready?" Danny asked, and was answered by subsequently answered by nods of affirmation from the members of his team.

Danny signaled the HPD officers. "Let's do this."

Gunfire first erupted as foresty area they had been marching through finally cleared and the dock came into view.

Immediately everyone leapt for cover behind the trees. Quickly dodging out from the tree, Danny took out one of the guards. It only took about a minute for the other four guards to be eliminated.

As they got closer, Danny was able to see the upper portion of the submarine, and, most prominently, the hatch.

Danny made to dash across the dock, but found himself held back by the head HPD officer. Danny turned to glare at the older man, but he was met with firm eyes. "You've got to let my boys get in there first. Protocol."

Danny wanted to argue with him, but he caught Chin's eye, who shook his head.

Danny sighed, exasperated. "Fine."

The HPD officers descended into the hatch. He could only listen to the distant gunfire from above, doing nothing but pacing.

A few minutes later he was alerted by the head HPD officer. "The sub's not completely clear yet, but you have the OK to start conducting your search on the areas that have been covered. Be on alert, though, because the areas have not been searched thoroughly."

Danny, Chin, Kono, and Catherine were climbing down the hatch before he even finished his statement.

For a moment the four of them just stood there at the base of the ladder, taking in the rusty walls, the dark atmosphere, and the stale, musty air.

"Split up?" Danny suggested.

Without a word, the four of them began to make their ways through the various different corridors of the sub.

Danny busted open every door, scaled every room, and checked every closet for his partner. He didn't know how long he had been searching – 10 minutes? 15? before he heard Kono's voice in the comm in his ear: "Oh my God."

Danny froze. There was no question that Kono had uncovered something huge – something that hopefully looked a lot like Steve McGarrett.

"Kono?" Danny asked tightly.

"I need somebody to get down to the second floor down, first hall on the right, third door on the left, _NOW!_" Kono's voiced screamed in his ear.

Danny's heart skipped a beat from the panic that was evident in his younger colleague's voice. Danny looked around. There, right ahead of him, was the staircase that led down to Kono's location.

Everything, all those weeks of endless searching, had finally come down to this. Danny was almost afraid of what he would find down those staircases.

However, it only took half a moment of brief hesitation before Danny was running down the dark staircase at full speed. _First hall on the right. Third door on the left._ Kono's words echoed in his mind.

Danny skidded to a stop at the aforementioned location. What he saw inside that doorway would haunt him for the next months and years.

A man with the same shape and build as Steve McGarrett, but really didn't _look_ like Steve McGarrett was hanging from the ceiling by a rope tied around his neck. Then he saw Kono, her arms wrapped around the man, trying to support his weight. The man was still, so very still…

Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Kono shouting at him, but everything was a fog… then abruptly Danny zoned back in.

"DANNY YOU HAVE TO HELP ME RIGHT NOW OR STEVE IS GOING TO DIE." Kono was screaming desperately, struggling under the weight of the other man.

Danny lurched forwards, fumbling for a knife to cut the rope with. "How-how long was he… has he been…" Danny mumbled.

"Hanging from the ceiling?" Kono asked hoarsely. Looking him dead in the eyes "I have no idea."

* * *

**A/N: cliffhanger dun dun duuuuuun! but they found Steve YAY! (and, not to spoil the cliffhanger, but do you really think i'm going to kill of Steve? lol) so yeah. I know this chapter is a bit late, but I was busy. Among other things. **

**so yeah! gosh i say that a lot. So I'm thinking... (*tries to calculate a balance of hurt and comfort in her head*) two more chapters? three more chapters? I don't know. Definitely no more than four. **

**I'm going to try to update as quickly as possible, but I've sort of lost interest in Hawaii 5-0 (which is evident due to the fact that my updating has been nothing more than sketchy in the past two months or so). yeahyeah i know. but the loss of interest kind of happened abruptly, and when it did, I lost interest completely. I haven't even watched the season finale, lol (i do know what happened, though). DON'T WORRY i'm definitely going to finish this story by the end of the summer, if not sooner, but you'll just have to bare with me :) **

**PLEASE REVIEW! and out of general curiousity, what shows do you people watch? I like to have people to fangirl with :) **

**I watch:**

**Doctor Who (!)**

**Supernatural**

**Sherlock**

**Psych**

**White Collar**

**Once Upon a Time**

**NCIS & NCIS LA (but i've kind of lost interest in those too)**

**Lost (tears why did it end?)**

**New Girl**

**The Office (more tears)**

**Parks and Recreation**

**Burn Notice (not anymore though... I used to be obsessed but then realized how bad the acting and writing was)**

**Criminal Minds (not anymore, it got really bad)**

**hummm i hope i didn't forget anything... **

**BUT YEAH LET ME KNOW! SUGGESTIONS? FANGIRL SQUEEING? put it in the box below! **

**ERMAGERD HOW COULD I HAVE FORGETTEN HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER? KDJFKLASDJWEMETTHEMOTHERDJLKSJF**


End file.
